Dev Blog - Mining & Smithing

On the 4th September we're planning to put out a poll to decide what we do with Mining & Smithing. We can't squeeze too much detail into a poll, so here's a devblog to explain what's going on.

High-level Mining & Smithing update

We're at a crossroads with Mining & Smithing. Delivering the full rework will take so long and involve so much development time that it'll put a serious dent in what else we're able to produce. If one update is a large quest, minigame or skill update, we're talking 4-6 updates worth of dev time. It's been clear from expansions that such a lack of updates would be sorely felt.

Most of that 4-6 updates worth of time isn't actually spent improving the Mining and Smithing skills. Some of the time is spent on that, but the majority is spent tidying up everything that it breaks - fixing slayer drops, rebalancing artisan's workshop, that sort of thing.

We would like to propose a different plan: rather than changing things in one go, in a way that requires all the above fixes, we will take all the new rewards, mechanics, ores and so on from the rework (largely benefiting mid-to-high level players), separate them out and release them earlier.

This new content includes:

Ľ New tiers of ore and gear for levels 70+Ľ Useful high level armourĽ A smithing "overload"-like item (a powerful unlock that is a reason to train the skill)

We would place this new content within a specific area, such as a reworked mining guild, artisan's workshop, or an extra floor in living rock caverns. This would create an isolated but complete economy for the top end of Mining & Smithing, to address the core problem with the skills: that there are very few good reasons to train them or make anything with them.

Until you reach the newly added tiers of metal, the Mining & Smithing skills will look exactly like they do now. The new tiers will overlap the old tiers (since runite will still be a high tier ore, for example). We estimate the update will bring 80% of the benefit of the rework at about 25% of the cost.

All that said, we'll continue to make sure whatever we make is an open design created with plenty of player feedback as we've done so far.

Whatĺs not included?

Chiefly, the shuffling and rebalancing of the metal tiers. This is something that is important to the long-term health of the game, but it's what produces the huge majority of the time spent on the rework. We also wouldn't be making any changes to drop tables, old content, etc.

There also won't be any new content for lower levels, and XP rates will not increase, but neither of these things would be included in a full rework regardless.

Take it to the polls

So that's what we're going to poll next week. We want to get the question right, so here's the intended text of the poll. Let us know if you think it's clear enough, and whether you think it's too biased in favour of either answer. We will aim to change the poll based on your feedback before it opens for voting.

Should we develop a high level Mining & Smithing update which brings all the 70+ benefits of the rework sooner, but delays the tidying up of old content? (We will include a link to this devblog.)

1. Yes2. No

The poll will use a simple 50% threshold. This is because we're asking you to choose between two alternatives for an update. A higher threshold is appropriate when we're asking you to choose whether to add/change something or do nothing. In this case either option means a change to the game, so we just want to know what the majority want.

What will the outcome mean?

We want to be open about what a yes and no vote will mean.

If YES wins, we'll begin work as soon as we can on the high level Mining & Smithing update. The rest of the rework, like fixing the tiers, is still important to us, but it will be prioritised as what it is: a very expensive update that has a significant impact only on low level players. We already have many high priority projects for low level players, including the early game experience and how new players come into the game from mobile.

If NO wins, and feedback tells us you want the full rework, then we will prioritise it accordingly. It will be put back on our release schedule and assigned for development in the future. As noted earlier, this will mean less of other updates. It is very likely that if NO wins, the full rework will come a bit sooner, but the high level benefits will come much later.

UPDATE

Based on your feedback, we've made two changes. Firstly, we've updated the Yes and No descriptions to include more detail. Secondly, we're now requiring a 75% threshold for the "Yes" option to win.

25-Aug-2017 10:56:43
- Last edited on 30-Aug-2017 14:16:50 by ModáJack

You can tell us all this, but let's be honest here. How long until you actually make in game progress towards the actual update? It's been over a year since this was talked about, maybe even longer. At this point you could just be pulling our legs to drag it out even more.

Thank you for the explanation, master Jack. Personally I am of the opinion that adding new, (very) high-level Mining/Smithing opportunities is important but only makes sense when the other equipment is reshuffled and other content (drops, alchemy, Artisans' Workshop, Blast Furnace, ...) is adjusted accordingly. I am therefore going to vote nay.

The current lack of updates is bad enough - frankly, it can't get much worse if the - in my opinion - more important part of the rework means even fewer, right? Bizarre Boron Fusswell: Supreme overlord of Morytania, wiki hobbyist & Scryer extraordinaire.

I'd still prefer increasing mining and smithing to 120 and filling the 99-120 gap with those new stuff, but at this point I don't really care so long as you do something instead of constantly talking about it but actually doing nothing but talking.

Whilst I'll be voting yes in this poll regardless, I think it's in the interests of full disclosure to instead of saying "...but delays the tidying up of old content?" make it crystal clear to some players who might think this means a month or two later, and have it as "but substantially delays, puts on hold or potentially shelves the tidying up of old content?". We're at a place where we're trying to cut down on unfinished business. By being clear with the (realistically possible) potential that the low level rework will not happen in the foreseeable future, I think the poll would become clearer and the differences made. I think this would also alleviate the pressures on yourselves from the player base if snags and bumps are found along the way, which as with all old code, will almost certainly happen.

Just my 2 cents, make of it what you will.Want a chat or got a question? Message me in game, or on Twitter @HughScape !

Yea... I agree with a lot of these fine people... It seems like more false promises that you're gonna make MORE unfinished business like the rest of your content since 2011...

I will be voting nay on my main for sure... Maybe for once your company will do something correct and will actually produce the update that has been "on hold" for an entire year since the talk about. Perhaps punishment of forcing you guys to release only Mining and Smithing for an EXTREMELY long time will FINALLY bring you to the stand point that you're doing a LOT wrong and you commit your teams in a BAD manner of fashion and organization.

It's time to GET THINGS DONE. Don't you think? NO MORE UNFINISHED THIS OR THAT. Updates. Release date = FULLY finished now. No more unfinished work.

Were tired Jagex... And you haven't even started....

-A Fox Wonders down a rabbit hole, not knowing where its going. Falling into the depths. Of Wonderland.

A question, though; supposedly the rework has been in development for over a year now. How's progress, if any details can be divulged?Bizarre Boron Fusswell: Supreme overlord of Morytania, wiki hobbyist & Scryer extraordinaire.